Episode 025: How Neurodivergent Astrologer Colleen Harrison Built Her Business After Restaurant Industry Burnout
What happens when a neurodivergent entrepreneur discovers that astrology isn't just mystical entertainment—but a powerful tool for understanding their ADHD and autism? In this deeply personal conversation, I sit down with Colleen Harrison, the brilliant mind behind Neurospicy Astrology, to explore how the stars helped her navigate everything from restaurant industry burnout to building a thriving business that serves the neurodivergent community.
If you've ever felt like you're operating with different hardware than everyone else—like you're driving a stick shift while everyone else has an automatic—this episode will resonate deeply. Colleen's journey from struggling to find employment to becoming a sought-after astrologer perfectly illustrates how understanding our neurodivergent wiring can transform our entire approach to business and life.
The Breaking Point That Became a Breakthrough
Colleen's entrepreneurial journey didn't start with a grand vision—it started with desperation. After repeatedly getting fired for being "too detail-oriented" (a classic autism trait that workplaces often misunderstand), she found herself drawn deeper into astrology. "When I discovered the birth chart and how when you first read your birth chart you're like oh wow there's really something to this," she explains. "It's like it's you on paper in the stars and you're it just I felt like I was home."
The restaurant industry became both her survival strategy and her prison. Like so many of us in the neurodivergent community, she used alcohol to numb her sensitivity and cope with the overwhelming sensory environment. "I think honestly I think the restaurant industry is kept alive by people who don't know they're neurodivergent and don't know how to take care of themselves appropriately," she reveals.
It wasn't until she discovered her autism diagnosis—three years after being fired for her attention to detail—that everything clicked into place. "Realizing that's what I was really using astrology for was to manage all that stuff and then it clicked like all of a sudden I was like Oh I can make this business work. I know how to help people I know who I'm helping finally."
The Neurodivergent Hardware Difference
One of the most powerful analogies we discussed was how being neurodivergent is like having different hardware than neurotypical people. As I shared with Colleen, "it's like you have a stick shift and everybody else has an automatic and nobody is willing to take a look in your car and see that your hardware doesn't look the way everybody else's hardware does."
This hardware difference affects everything—from how we process sensory information to how we manage energy and build businesses. Colleen's approach to astrology specifically addresses these differences, helping neurodivergent individuals understand their unique operating system through the lens of their birth chart.
Building Systems That Work With Your Brain, Not Against It
Running a business as a neurodivergent entrepreneur requires completely rethinking traditional business advice. Colleen discovered this when she invested in an expensive business coach who tried to help her avoid the very thing she knew she needed to do—create video content. "As soon as I just bit the bullet and started doing it and realized I was helping people it was a wonderful sort of symbiotic process," she explains.
Her solution? Implementing what she learned from a Huberman Lab podcast about habits: "implementing 1 or 2 habits that work and giving yourself time to adjust to those giving yourself time to read your own energy and what you need to produce that right and then once I get comfortable I get used to something then I layer on another."
The key insight here is systems over structured routines. As Colleen puts it, "it has to be a system there has to be wiggle room for your energy to fluctuate and thankfully I can track my energy fluctuating with the moon and what I do for a living."
The Trauma We Didn't Know Was Trauma
Our conversation took a profound turn when we discussed childhood experiences that shaped us. As I shared, "trauma is not the severity of the event or situation that makes it like how traumatized you were or how much it affected you. Trauma and how deeply it has affected you It is by how alone you felt when it happened."
This realization is particularly relevant for neurodivergent individuals who often felt different or wrong throughout childhood without understanding why. Colleen's work with clients frequently involves helping them recognize that experiences they normalized as children were actually traumatic. "They wind up just regurgitating things that they thought were normal but didn't feel right and I'm like you need to stop and honor that. That wasn't normal you have a right to acknowledge you have trauma just like everybody else."
The Restaurant Industry: A Neurodivergent Survival Strategy
Both Colleen and I spent significant time in the restaurant industry, and our discussion revealed how this chaotic environment often attracts neurodivergent individuals. The fast pace, the sensory overload, the constant crisis management—it all felt normal because our nervous systems were already dysregulated.
"The chaos felt normal," Colleen explains. "Like an office setting was disastrous for me a few times over before I found the restaurant industry." The culture of self-medication through alcohol and cigarettes became a way to manage the overwhelming sensory input and emotional demands of serving the public while masking our neurodivergent traits.
Alcohol as Self-Medication and the Path Forward
Both of us have journeyed away from using alcohol as a coping mechanism, recognizing it for what it was—an attempt to manage neurodivergent overwhelm in a world not designed for our brains. Colleen's honesty about her relationship with alcohol and how astrology helped her find healthier coping mechanisms provides hope for others struggling with similar issues.
"The alcohol is not the problem the alcohol is how I'm managing the problem," she told therapists repeatedly. This insight is crucial for understanding that surface-level solutions don't address the underlying neurodivergent needs for regulation and accommodation.
Finding Your People Through Authentic Content
Colleen's approach to content creation embodies something powerful: "if it's sincere, he posts it." This philosophy, borrowed from someone she follows, reflects the importance of authentic communication in building a neurodivergent business. When you're genuinely sharing your experience, you'll inevitably find your people—those who need to hear exactly what you're offering.
Her daily astrological updates have become a lifeline for her community, demonstrating how consistent, authentic content can build genuine connections and sustainable business relationships.
The Generational Shift We're Creating
As millennials with Scorpio Pluto, we discussed how our generation is uniquely positioned to break generational trauma patterns. "It stops with me," is becoming the rallying cry for parents who refuse to perpetuate the cycles of misunderstanding and invalidation they experienced.
The younger generations—Gen Z and Gen Alpha—are growing up with a completely different approach to identity, sexuality, and neurodiversity. They're getting the acceptance and accommodation that we had to fight to create for ourselves.
Movement as Medicine
Our conversation touched on the importance of physical movement for neurodivergent nervous system regulation. Colleen credits yoga, meditation, and breathwork alongside astrology for her transformation. For me, rebounding (mini trampoline) has become an essential tool for managing sensory needs and energy regulation.
The key insight here is that movement doesn't have to look like traditional exercise. It can be standing on a trampoline while scrolling TikTok, walking while listening to podcasts, or any form of "moving meditation" that works with your brain rather than against it.
Astrology as a Neurodivergent Business Tool
What makes Colleen's approach unique is how she specifically applies astrological insights to neurodivergent entrepreneurship. Understanding your chart can help you work with your natural energy patterns rather than fighting against them. Her own chart helped her recognize why YouTube felt scary but necessary, and why certain business strategies aligned with her planetary placements.
For neurodivergent entrepreneurs struggling to fit into traditional business models, astrology offers a framework for understanding your unique strengths and challenges. It's not about limiting yourself based on your chart—it's about understanding your operating system so you can build systems that support rather than drain you.
The Importance of Alone Time and Energy Management
One of the most validating parts of our conversation was discussing the need for alone time without the guilt society places on wanting to be by yourself. As Colleen beautifully expressed, "I'm the best company for me and there's literally no more freeing feeling I wish everybody felt that way."
Understanding that needing significant alone time isn't antisocial—it's a neurodivergent nervous system requirement—can transform how we structure our days and businesses. When you sign up for my newsletter, you'll get more insights on creating neurodivergent-friendly business systems that honor your energy patterns.
Key Takeaways for Neurodivergent Entrepreneurs
Your "flaws" might be your superpowers: Being "too detail-oriented" led to Colleen being fired, but it's exactly what makes her an exceptional astrologer.
Systems beat routines: Create flexible frameworks that accommodate energy fluctuations rather than rigid schedules.
Authenticity attracts your people: When you share your genuine experience, you'll find your ideal clients and community.
Movement is medicine: Find ways to incorporate nervous system regulation through physical movement that works for your brain.
Alone time is essential: Stop apologizing for needing significant time alone—it's a requirement, not a preference.
Trauma recognition matters: Understanding how feeling alone during difficult experiences created trauma patterns can help you heal and serve others better.
Connect with Colleen Harrison
Ready to explore how astrology can support your neurodivergent journey? Here's how to connect with Colleen:
Website: neurospicyastrology.com
YouTube: Neurodivergent Astrologer (for daily astrological updates)
Colleen offers various personal reading options and specializes in helping both neurospicy and neurotypical individuals understand their birth charts better. Whether you're looking for insight into current transits or want to dive deep into understanding yourself through your chart, her approach combines traditional astrological wisdom with a deep understanding of neurodivergent experiences.
